Snoop Dogg will host the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, bringing the ceremony back to Los Angeles for the first time since 2017. The rapper and entrepreneur will lead the live broadcast from the Peacock Theater, which will air simultaneously on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+. The return to Los Angeles marks the first time since 2017 that the VMAs have been staged outside New York or New Jersey.
The hosting role adds another milestone to Snoop Dogg’s long relationship with MTV and the VMAs. A 13-time nominee, he has won three awards and first appeared on the VMA stage in 1994. He later closed the 1999 ceremony alongside Dr. Dre and Eminem, participated in a 2005 tribute to The Notorious B.I.G. and performed with Eminem again in 2022. Snoop will also serve as an executive producer for this year’s telecast.
“MTV and the VMAs have been part of my story since the beginning,” Snoop said in a statement. “Some of the biggest moments of my career happened on that stage and on MTV — they gave hip-hop a place to be loud, fearless and seen by the whole world. So to come back now and host the VMAs, all these years later, that’s a full-circle moment for me.”
Madonna leads this year’s nominations with 11, followed by Taylor Swift with nine. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter each received seven nominations, while Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson earned five apiece. The 2026 ceremony will also feature Nirvana as the recipient of the Video Vanguard Award, recognizing the band’s lasting influence on music videos and popular culture. Additional performers, presenters and special guests
The 2026 VMAs will air live simultaneously on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ on Sept. 27.
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